The climate is harsh, hot and dry, and yet - the most amazing plant life

thrives there. Situated in the Indian Ocean 250 km from Somalia and

340 km from Yemen , the wide sandy beaches rise to limestone

plateaus full of caves (some 7 kilometers in length) and mountains up

to 1525 meters high.

The name Socotra is derived from a Sanscrit name, meaning "The

Island of Bliss"... Is it the beaches? The isolation and quiet? Or the

strange and crazy botanical allure?

Alien-looking plants: H. P. Lovecraft's secret inspiration?

Was the famous Chtulhu myths creator aware of these forbidding

mountains with their hauntingly weird flora (think of plant mutations

from his "The Color out of Space") ? We almost tempted to call

Socotra the other "Mountains of Madness" - the trees and plants of this

 island were preserved thru the long geological isolation, some

varieties being 20 million years old...

We begin with the dracena cinnibaris or Dragon's Blood Tree, the

source of valuable resin for varnishes, dyes, and "cure-all" medicine;

also (predictably) used in medieval ritual magic and alchemy -  

The branches spread out into the sky and from below appear to hover over

the landscape like so many flying saucers... And from above they have a

distinct mushroom look:  

There is also the Desert Rose (adenium obesium) which looks like nothing

so much as a blooming elephant leg:

Dorstenia gigas - apparently does not require any soil and sinks roots straight

 into the bare rock: 

It also has a distinct personality and likes to smile for the camera:  

Somewhat similar to the weird Dorstenia gigas, is this "bucha" vegetable, found as far

north as Croatia . I hope it's not pregnant with anything malignant inside this sack.

John Wyndham (with his "The Day of the Triffids") would've loved it:  

Also found in Socotra 's landscape is the ever-strange and extremely rare

Cucumber Tree (dendrosicyos socotranum) - and yes, it's related to what's sitting

in a pickle jar in your fridge:  

Getting around can be a challenge, as there are almost no roads

Despite the fact that this island has around 40,000 inhabitants, the Yemeni

government put in the first roads just 2 years ago - after negotiations with

UNESCO, which has declared this island a World Natural Heritage Site. I would

prefer a camel ride to what is bound to be a bumpy and slow 4x4 ride.... It is a

quiet and peaceful enclave in an otherwise troubled world. If you decide to visit

there, you can forget about beachfront hotels and restaurants; this island is

geared towards Eco-tourism and sustaining the local economy and way of life.  

This island is a birder's paradise as well, with 140 different species of birds; 10

 of which are not found anywhere else in the world. A unique Socotra warbler,

sunbird, starling, bunting, sparrow and cisticola are among the ones found

here. There are also Socotra Cormorants:  

Want to see some fairy-tale (and possibly haunted) shipwrecks? There are

diving tours available...

Hopefully some IMAX crew would film it in all its glory one day.  

To give you a glimpse of Socotra and Yemen unique architecture, check out

this place located on the mainland:

Al Hajarah, Yemen - Walled city in the mist  

Socotra is one of those "lost world" islands (separated from the world six

million years ago) where intrepid travelers - particularly those seeking

exotic nature and wildlife in a remote tropical setting - can go days on end

without rubbing shoulders with that less -than-endangered species.tourists.

Known for decades as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean , it's the world's

tenth richest island for endemic plant species. And the biggest island in the

Middle East 125 kilometers in length and 45 kilometers across.

Meanwhile the landscape is one of contrasts, for example, it has isolated

nature preserves with dazzling wildlife (including 900 species of plants, and

 the famous Dragon's Blood Tree "dracaena cinnabara" and the some of

rarest birds that exist nowhere else in the world), and picturesque sandy

beaches.  

                                     A Great Book about Life at

                                         WWW.YFUATIW.COM

www.yfuatiw.com/html/socotraisland.html